Could the US slowdown be, in part, due to the highly uncertain state of the US election? If economic decision makers have little idea as to what the economic landscape will be in 2009 (as the 3 candidates right now are quite different in their economic outlooks, and the betting markets are a coin-flip), they may be simply like deer in headilghts–afraid to make a move until they see what happens next?

THE impulsive ideology behind former Aboriginal affairs minister Mal Brough’s plan to transfer Northern Territory Aborigines from unemployment benefits to work-for-the-dole programs has collided with reality, as the for-profit organisations with contracts to create jobs struggle to come to grips with the extent of their task.

Mission Australia, to name just one of the Job Network providers, has been paid more than $3 million by the federal Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, but seems to be making little headway. In late October, Mission Australia arrived in two of the main Aboriginal population centres of the north and signed unemployment benefit recipients to individual mutual obligation Job Network commencement contracts. The mutuality was that the people would agree to participate in work programs and Mission Australia would provide such programs.

In Maningrida, in western Arnhem Land, Mission Australia signed up at least 400 unemployed people and an estimated 500 on the Tiwi Islands. It has done the same thing in nine other Top End communities. For every signed contract Mission Australia earned $1500, with structured fees payable if people were placed into 13 or 26-week job programs.

“In Maningrida, people were put through a drafting process and were assessed as either fit or unfit for work for the dole,” says Ian Munro, chief executive of Maningrida’s Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation, which runs the biggest community development employment program in the territory. The process was repeated by other job providers in numerous communities but so far those programs are few and far between. Unemployed Aborigines are largely as they always were: unemployed.

The work-for-the-dole contracts pre-existed the federal intervention but once it was announced there was a rush to sign people up. This followed Brough’s warning that Aborigines on welfare ought to prepare for work. He had also announced he would quarantine, or income-manage, 50 per cent of their earnings.

Adding further urgency to the drafting process was Brough’s announcement that the 7000-odd people involved in the territory’s CDEPs would also have their earnings quarantined. About a month after the intervention was announced, Brough realised CDEP money was not a welfare payment: it was real wages that the commonwealth had no power to quarantine. Brough therefore decided to abolish CDEP in the territory and put everyone under the Social Security Act so he could quarantine their income.”

Another piece of news is that former-Minister Mal Brough has popped up looking to make some money in Indigenous housing in just the place (Tiwi Islands) where he pushed (read – bullied) through the 99yr lease which has made his involvement possible.

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Heaven, God went missing for six days.
Eventually, Michael the archangel found him on the seventh day resting.
He enquired of God, ” where have you been? ”
God pointed downwards through the clouds. “Look Michael, look what I’ve
made,” said God.
Archangel Michael looked puzzled and said, ” what is it ? ”
“It’s a planet,” replied God, “and I’ve put life on it. I’m going to call it Earth and it’s going to be a great place of balance.”
“Balance?” inquired Michael, still confused.
God explained, pointing down to different parts of the earth, “For example Nth America will be a place of great opportunity and wealth while South America is going to be poor; the Middle East over there will be a hot spot and Russia will be a cold spot.”
“Over there I’ve placed a continent of white people and here I’ve placed a Continent of black people.” God continued pointing to different countries.
This one will be extremely hot and arid and this one will be very cold and covered in ice.”
The archangel, impressed by Gods work, then pointed to another area and Asked,” what’s that?”
“Ah”, said God. “That’s South Australia, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful people, impressive towns; it is the home of the world’s finest artists, musicians, writers, thinkers, explorers and sportsman.
The people from South Australia are going to be modest, intelligent and humorous and they’re going to be found travelling the world.
They’ll be extremely sociable, hard working and high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as speakers of truth.”
Michael gasped in wonder and admiration but then proclaimed, “What about balance God, you said there will be BALANCE!”
God replied very wisely, “Wait till you see the wankers I’m putting in the Eastern States.

“Is it time to start nationalizing industries yet?”
Ditching income tax, etc and relying on resource taxing instead, is totally ambivalent about ownership and we can get rid of those taxeaters in the FIRB straight away. The penny will drop eventually with these SWFs forcing us to see reason.